Sprinkler releasing means



Filed Dec. 9, 1943 Patented May 1, 1945 UNITED -STATES PATENT OFFICE;

SPRINKLER RELEASING MEANS Ira W. Knight, Providence, R. 1.; assignor to Grinnell Corporation, Providence, R. I., a corv poration of Delaware Application December 9, 1943, Serial No. 513,575

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in sprinkler releasing means. More especially it has to do with means which permits the normal opening of an automatic sprinkler upon the givin the accompanying drawing, butthese are to be deemed merely illustrative for itis intended that the patent shall cover by suitable expression in theappended claims whatever features of patentable novelty existin the invention dising way of its. own thermoresponsive element closed. and by which the sprinkler may be opened in In the accompanying drawing: response to other thermoactuated means, or Figure lis an elevation of an automatic opened manually. sprinkler head, in the usual upright position, In the art of fire protection the usual autohaving athermoresponsive element holding the matic sprinkler head is provided with a therl0 sprinkler closed and adapted to give way upon mally responsive element which normally holds being heated to a predetermined temperature, the sprinkler closed but which is adaptedto together with meansfor otherwise removing this give way at some predetermined temperature to element from its sprinkler closing position;

effect opening of the sprinkler for fire extin- Figure 2 is a View like Figure l-suggesting the guishing discharge. Such a head is placed in a position of certain parts during an opening of location where fire is apt to occur in its vicinity. the head; When this happens and creates a suflicient tem- Figure 3 is a viewof a pendent sprinkler; perature to cause itsthermoresponsive element Figure 4 is a perspective view, partly in secto give way, the sprinkler is opened for extin- 'tion, of means associated with the sprinkler guishing discharge upon the fire. It has been head for effecting the removal of its thermofound advisable in some instances to. have a responsive element mechanically; and sprinkler open and discharge to occur therefrom I Figure 5 is a medial section showing details. primarily as a protective measure to prevent the Referring to the drawing, the sprinkler shown spread of a fire which starts at some place where is very much like the head disclosed in Letters the heat therefrom would not promptly afiect 2 Patent No. 2,085,987,"granted July 6; 1937. ,The the thermoresponsive element of the sprinkler. sprinkler bodyor frame I has a nozzle 2 ex- An example of such a situation is found in the teriorly threaded for engagement with a supcase of an air cleaner through which air is ply line 2 carrying fluid under pressura-andhas passed over oil-covered surfaces. If a fire oca yoke 4 at the top of which is a deflector 5. curs outside the cleaner it is highly desirable Prior to discharge the fluid is held back bye to prevent its spread to such surfaceswhere it valve 6 which is held to'its seat on the sprinkler could ignite the oil and readily destroy the frame -at'the upper-endof the nozzle by means cleaner. Another example may be found in the embodying a thermoresponsive element. In the case of a tank containing flammable fluid. If sprinkler shown here for illustrative [purposes a fire occurs near the tank the contents thereof this element-is a frangible bulb 1' which rests may be protected by discharge of a suitable proupon a flanged cap 8 within which is housed retective medium upon the flammable fluidbefore silient means (not shown). As disclosed in the it becomes ignited. In all such cases where such aforesaid patent, the upper end of the bulb rests a protective discharge is desirable it is of course against a suitable recessed cylindrical washer inimperative that the sprinkler be opened by re- 40 terposed between the bulb and a locking pin prosponse of its own thermoresponsive element truding through the top portion of the yoke. should the fire occur in its immediate vicinity. In carrying out my improvements-I provide a It is therefore among the objectsv of this inlever-washer 9 which serves both as a seat for vention to provide releasing means which will the bulb 1 and as a pry for removing the bulb permit the normal opening of a sprinkler head and thereby destroying the strut holding the by the giving way of its own thermoresponsive sprinkler closed. This element (see Figure 5) element, which will, effect the opening of the has near one end surfaces 9a and 911 on its olphead upon the giving way of another thermoreposite sides which afford suitable seats for a sponsive element not'a part of the means norcushion ring la for the bulb 1 and for a locking mally holding the sprinkler closed, and which, pin li'l secured in the top portion 4a of the yoke if desired, will enable a sprinkler to be opened 4. At its other end is an angularly disposed 1 by hand. tion 90 having .a hold 901 for reception of a tie The best mode in, which I have contemplated element such as a hook ll'. applying the principles of my invention is shown W n t e p n er head' s installed p that is with the deflector 5 uppermost as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4, the lever-washer is arranged with its angularly disposed portion 90 extending toward the deflector. the head is used as a pendent sprinkler, with the deflector lowermost as in Figure 3, then the position of the lever-washer is reversed so that its portion 90 extends away from the deflector.

If a fire occurs in the neighborhood of the sprinkler so that heat therefrom will raise the temperature of the bulb 1 and its contained charge to some predetermined degree, the bulb will be destroyed and the sprinkler opened for fire extinguishing discharge. Thus the head will be opened in the usual manner of automatic sprinklers. I

It may be, however, that although a fire starts too far from the sprinkler to have any effective to thermal influence upon it, the nature of the risk may be such that it is advisable to open the sprinkler for a protective discharge therefrom.

If, however,

tached thereto and extending through the other tubular member I5 and thence to a thermoresponsive link I9, adaptedto give way upon being heated to a predetermined temperature. Still 5 another tie 20 extends from the link!!! to some the manner suggested in Figure 2. In this open- The lever-washer is pulled 1 etc., and it may be desirable to eflect its opening (340 when a fire occurs outside such inclosure. In Figure 4 I have-illustrated means for so opening the head for protective discharge.

The plate l2 may be taken as representing the wall of an inclosure through which extends a supply pipe 3 to a sprinkler head I. Attached to the wall on the side remote from the sprinkler is a bracket l 3 having associated therewith tubular members 14 and I5. One of these (H!) extends through the wall and is so disposed that" a tie l6 attached to the washer-lever 9 of the v sprinkler can readily be pulled in a direction that will effect the opening of the head. This tie I6 is fastened to a weight I! which is held in the inactive position illustrated by another tie l8 atsecure fastening. Although I have only shown one link, it is to be understood that others might be in the tie as a whole extending from the weight 11. to the ultimate anchor for the tie.

Upon a fire occurring outside the inclosure and near enough to a link is to cause the latter to give way, the weight I! will upon being thus released drop downward and impose a sudden jerk on the tie Hi. This is transmitted to the leverwasher 9 whereupon the latter pries loose the bulb I and eifects opening of the sprinkler for protective discharge within the inclosure.

I claim:

1. Sprinkler releasing means comprising thermoresponsive means normally holding a sprinkler closed and adapted upon being heated to a predetermined temperature to give way and effect the opening of the sprinkler, and a lever-washer interposed between the thermoresponsive means and the frame of a sprinkler normally serving as a seat for said thermoresponsive means and adapted to serve as a lever to pry said thermoresponsive means from its sprinkler closing position; the said lever-washer having seats on its opposite sides to permit the lever to be interposed between the thermoresponsive means and the sprinkler frame in either of two positions to accommodate selectively a force acting on the lever in either of substantially opposite directions with respect to the sprinkler frame.

2. Sprinkler releasing means comprising a frangible bulb normally holding the sprinkler closed and containing a charge adapted upon being heated to a predetermined temperature to destroy said bulb and thereby effect the opening of the sprinkler, and a lever-Washer interposed between one end of said bulb and a locking pin in the frame of a sprinkler capable upon being subjected to an externally applied force of prying said bulb from its sprinkler closing position irrespective of the temperature of said charge; the said lever-washer having seats on its opposite sides with each seat being formed to engage either the locking pin or the. bulb, whereby the lever-washer may be reversibly positioned to accommodate an external force applied to the leverwasher in either of substantially opposite directions with respect to the sprinkler frame.

IRA W. KNIGHT. 

